#31: A Walk in the Woods

I just finished A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.  Overall I enjoyed this book, but I did find some parts kind of boring.  There was a lot of history about the trail, areas, and war battles.  I was really interested in the hiking part rather than all the history.  This book was a different take on Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  She wanted to talk more about her emotions, health, and life, whereas Bryson wanted to talk more about nature and history.  I really liked the Katz character who traveled with Bryson.  Even if a lot of his character was fiction, he was still very entertaining.  We were just in the Appalachians in June, but only did a few small trails.  I would really love to go back and see some of the things mentioned in the Smoky Mountain part or maybe even other parts, but as a day hiker.  I don't think I'm meant to be that "at one with nature" to do hundreds of miles with no break.  :)

Up Next:  Further Joy by John Brandon

#30: I'll Fly Away

I had started Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, but had to give up.  It was just way too boring for me.

Needing another non-fiction quick, I searched my book shelves and found I'll Fly Away: Further Testimonies from the Women of York Prison.  This book was edited and introduced by Wally Lamb.  Lamb does writer's workshops at York Prison.  York Prison is the only women's only maximum security prison in Connecticut.  This is the 2nd edition of stories written by the prisoners.  The first is called Couldn't Keep it to Myself.  I think I'd love to go back and read that one.

Lamb introduced the project and the rest of the book was short stories and poems from the prisoners.  I really enjoyed the writings in this book.  Some were sad, some happy, and some funny.  All the stories had a deep down message about hurt or family or something else in the stories.  I really felt sorry for many of the women as they told their stories.  Murder is awful, but should a 19 yr old girl really go to jail for the rest of her life from killing someone while they are abusing her?  I don't know the full story, but based off her writing, I really feel bad for her and some of the others to be stuff in prison and never move on in their lives.

Up Next:  A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

#29: Lost Lake

I just finished Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen.  I remember hearing about this book a while back.  I seemed to think it was on one of the library posters that said "What should you read after Gone Girl?".  But maybe I'm wrong since it wasn't anything like Gone Girl.

I really liked the way this book started out.  There seemed to be a lot of mystery and family history at the beginning that was very interesting to me.  I liked learning about all the characters.  Towards the middle of the book, I was still really interested in the story, but I felt it started to get really cheesy and predictable.  It wasn't that I didn't like it, I just didn't like some of the weird things that happened towards the end that didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book.  It seemed like it had a few too many "super natural" occurrences.

Up Next:  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

#28: The Awakening

I just read The Awakening by Kate Chopin.  I thought I remembered someone saying that they really liked this book awhile ago, but now I can't remember who said that.  This book was really short, so I thought it would be a quick read, but it wasn't.  If I had to sum the book up in one word it would be, "boring".

This book was written back in 1899 or something, so it is worded like a classic.  It is supposed to be about a woman having an affair during a time when no one wrote about this.  The main character, Edna, decides that she isn't happy in her life as a wife and mother.  I wouldn't say this is so much about an affair, as I don't know for sure that there really was one.  It was more about her wanting freedom.

I was really bored in parts and think I missed important details, but I didn't feel like going back to re-read any of it.

Up Next:  Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen